Chapter 1 Chapter 1

I was kidnapped. Tyler Watson just stood there and watched. I was taken to the mountains and kept there for six months before I managed to escape. I hobbled with one injured leg, and my torn clothes could not hide the scars on my body. I stumbled through the busy streets like a scared animal and finally collapsed at the entrance of a police station. “Ms. Quinn, you’re awake!” When I heard an unfamiliar voice, I instinctively curled up. I clutched my head and trembled with fear. Seeing me like this, the female officer looked at Tyler. She was unsure of what to do. “Since you’re awake, come with me.” Tyler stood in front of me and looked down. He was dressed in a sharp dark suit, and his features were perfect as always. He still looked as handsome as ever. He spoke to me and turned to leave. But he turned back with annoyance when he did not hear me move. “Xandra, cut the drama. You can’t expect me to carry you.” Tyler thought I was pretending to be weak to get his sympathy, like I used to. However, I had already suffered the consequences of chasing after him. I was scared and regretful. I did not want to do it anymore. After days of running, I was completely exhausted. With my leg injured, I collapsed the moment I tried to stand. Tyler’s frown deepened. “Ah…” I wanted to say sorry, but when I opened my mouth, only a weak sound came out. I almost forgot that I had not spoken in so long. I had been cleaned up and changed into fresh clothes. Aside from being pale and a little weaker, I looked mostly the same as before. Even though Tyler saw me in a pitiful state, he refused to feel sorry for me. “Go ahead. I’ll follow you.” I waved my hand awkwardly. With my frantic cries, I probably looked like a total fool. Tyler probably thought I was embarrassing him. He just told me to hurry up and walked off. “Ms. Quinn, what happened to you? Do you need to file a report?” the officer asked with concern. I stood there for a moment in a daze before slowly shaking my head. Every step felt like walking on broken glass, but I had gotten used to it. Compared to what I had been through, this pain was nothing. Once in the car, I curled up in the corner. Tyler crossed his long legs and looked at me with a scrutinizing gaze. “Looks like you’ve learned your lesson. Keep up the silence.” I nodded obediently. In the past, every time I saw Tyler, I would chatter and share every little thing that happened in my life. I thought we had something special. After being kidnapped, I realized he probably wished I was dead. The car sped off, and Tyler took me to one of his apartments. When my mom saw me, she pulled me into a tight hug, even though it hurt. My wound tore open again, but at least, my cold heart felt a little warmth. Not everyone I cared about wanted me gone. “Xandra! You’re safe! I’m so happy!” My sister, Whitley Quinn, was teary-eyed. She had on subtle makeup and designer clothes. I looked at her smile, but my mind flashed to a different memory of when a stranger dragged me into an alley. I was screaming for help, but Whitley was holding Tyler’s arm with a sweet expression. “I can’t believe Xandra’s doing this. She’s pretending to get hurt to get your attention. The area’s safe. There’s no way there are kidnappers here.” Tyler stopped moving forward. “Xandra, stop the childish games. Come here!” Unfortunately, by then, I had been gagged and shoved into a van. That was when I started my fight for survival.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

“Xandra, hurry and get out of the car.” Whitley reached out to help me, but I instinctively pushed her away. That one push drained all my strength, and I collapsed to the ground. She fell in front of me, and tears welled up in her eyes. Tyler quickly helped her up and shot me a cold look. I started trembling uncontrollably. It was a deep, instinctive fear from within my soul. It was the same look he had given me when that kidnapper dragged me into the alley! “Ah! I didn’t mean to! I know I was wrong!” In my panic, my dry throat produced a rough, strained sound. I dropped to my knees with a thud. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” Each time I apologized, I hit my head hard on the ground. I did not dare hold back even a little. “Xandra!” my mom screamed and tried to stop me. Tyler stared at me in shock. “Xandra, what is wrong with you?!” As soon as he grabbed my wrist, I screamed in fear. I knelt on the ground and desperately wiped the ground with my hands. What was wrong with me? I had been chained up and forced to eat scraps every day. I had been beaten too. I did not know if I had gone crazy, but I did learn one thing. Only the living had dignity. “I’m sorry! Please don’t hit me! I’ll clean it up! Please don’t hit me!” My hands were scraped and burning with pain. Actually, all ten of my nails had been ripped off. My fingers were bare and ugly, with fresh wounds that had just started to heal. But they were bleeding again. However, I could not stop. If I did, the woman watching me would use hot tongs to hit me. It really hurt. “Tyler, what’s going on?!” my mom cried out in panic. “You said Xandra was just throwing a tantrum and hiding to make us worry. How did she end up like this?!” Tyler’s expression darkened. He suddenly picked me up and carried me upstairs. If this had happened before, I would have been ecstatic. After all, he always avoided me. If I even brushed against his coat, he would throw it away. Tyler laid me down on the bed. My body was stiff, and I just collapsed in the position he placed me in. I must have looked ridiculous. “Xandra, what happened to you?” His voice softened, which was rare, but I just curled up tighter. I was too afraid to even breathe. Tyler pulled at his tie. He was frustrated. It seemed like he finally realized how much his apathy had hurt me. After trying to comfort me for a while with no success, he lost his patience. “Alright, alright, stop acting like this. Once you’re healed, we’ll get married right away.” He looked at me with a mix of helplessness and condescending sympathy. He was certain that a marriage would fix everything. After all, it had always been my dream to marry him. However, I could not bring myself to smile. Was this compensation or just pity? Whitley stood outside the door. She bit her lip and called out to him softly, “Tyler…” He hesitated, just like I had expected. I suddenly raised my head and said in a rough but weak voice, “We’re getting the marriage certificate now.” At the office, Whitley kept her arm linked with Tyler’s the entire time. The staff almost thought they were the ones getting married. “Congratulations to you two.” After I received the marriage certificate, Whitley whispered in my ear, “Even if you’re using this pity act to get what you want, how long do you think it’ll last? Tyler’s heart is mine. You’ll never take it from me.” She looked all polished and glamorous, unlike me. My pale body was fragile, with burn marks still visible under my hair. It showed how broken I was. I did not have time to deal with her because a voice suddenly rang in my head. “Congrats, host! You’ve completed your mission. The Simp System is now deactivated.” My sanity finally returned!